Julio Velasco’s women’s Italvolley adventure is off to a good start. Of course, Sweden is not a superpower on a global or even European level, and what’s more it showed up in Novara and Piacenza without its most representative player, Isabelle Haak, fresh champion of… everything with the Prosecco Doc Imoco Conegliano. Having won both matches by three sets to zero, however, represents a nice boost of confidence for the Italians, in turn playing in both friendlies without the big teams from Conegliano and Milan, who only last Sunday gave life to an exciting Champions League final.
Women’s volleyball, double test for Italy against Sweden
Sylla, De Gennaro, Egonu, Lubian, Orro and all the others will only be in the second pool of the Volleyball Nations League, the tournament to which Italy is requesting an Olympic pass: it will be enough to defend the large advantage in the ranking to get the ticket – through the back door – to Paris. In the first four matches against Poland, Germany, Bulgaria and Turkey, the players called up by the Argentine guru (assisted by two exceptional “deputies”: Massimo Barbolini and Lollo Bernardi) for this first phase of preparation will be on the field. Culminated, in fact, with double test against the Swedes, led instead by an Italian coach: Giulio Cesare Bregoli, highly appreciated coach of Chieri in A1.
Mingardi and Antropova decisive for the Velasco team
In the first friendly, in front of 2,500 in Novara, Velasco deployed Cambi as setter, Antropova as opposite, Degradi and Bosetti as spikers, Danesi and Akrari as center backs, Fersino as libero. Debut as captain for Danesi, a central defender who took over the baton and armband from Sylla. In Sweden there is Haak but it is Anna who plays in Cuneo. A match without history, with large partial scores even after the revolution made in the sextet by Velasco in the third set: 25-13, 25-9, 25-13. Best scorer Mingardi (12 points), ahead of Akrari (11). For Antropova, who didn’t force much, six balls on the ground.
Second match: Antropova and Cambi are key points for Italy
Some changes in the second test in Piacenza: Changes in setter, opposite Antropova, spikers Nervini and Omoruyi, central defenders Nwakalor and Bonifacio, libero Fersino. An Italy that was a little less fluid in the wall-defense correlation still had an easy time over the Scandinavians. However, the scores were tighter and more competitive: 25-17 in the first set, then 25-22 in the second and 25-20 in the third. At the end of the match the two teams played another set, which the Italians won (25-16). A more difficult victory than the previous one, which however thrilled the 2350 Piacenza supporters. The focus now is on the challenges that matter. Sunday 12th Italy leaves for Turkey. From the 14th we get serious: at 7pm there is Italy-Poland, on the horizon there is Paris.
